A Hauck built on a Rodney Storie investment cast kit; a very fast build. The wood, which needs to be finished this winter, came as a close pattern from Dennis Olsen, Plains MT. I chambered it for .308 Winchester. It shoots very well, but I problems getting the rimless extractor to work right. A rimmed case is more appropriate for a falling block. So. I need a rimmed 308. I will likely try the rimmed 444 marlin brass. I would rather use 7x57R brass as it has a nicer rim, but it might be harder to find. I would also consider rechambering for the 7.2 mm Russian.
case

Any thoughts?

307 Winchester is a rimmed 308.
I know brass is available from Hornady, just bought some for an Encore project.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1021375847

M

Yes, just as Mark noted. I saw some .307 for sale just a few days ago.

7.62x54 Russian might work.

quote:

Originally posted by Reverend Recoil:
7.62x54 Russian might work.

Maybe, but don't think so. If so, it would be a lot of work. Use the .307 brass.

Excellent. I will try the 307. I am surprised the brass is available.

The shoulder on the 7x57r or 303 would need moving back a long way.

Various options

1) try and get it working with 308 - plenty of single shots use rimless ammo. Are you rnnning higher pressures? Suspect a stronger spring under the extractor might work.

2) Rechamber it to a rimmed cartridge - 30-40 krag would be the obvious 308 calibre rimmed, or 307 Win.

3) rechamber to 30R Blaser. A rimmed cartridge for single shots - about half way between 30-06 and 300 win mag. Its a fatter cartridge than 308 so should have plenty of room to chamber it and sort out extractor.


4) or develop a wildcat making your own brass etc.

Thanks for having my back. I will use the boring bar to add the 307 rim to the 308 chamber. That should work. I might use 444 Marlin brass as the diameter of the rim is slightly bigger than the 307. The as it is moved the extractor pivots and, in doing so, moves to a lower contact position on the rim of the case; a little extra rim cannot hurt. Likely not an issue worth talking about!

Going to the .30-40 Krag would be cool to.

Yes, 45, the Krag would be ideal. At this point it would require me to shorten the barrel. I do not want to do that!

gwahir, I counter-bored my 308 encore to shoot a .307 case. Works just like it was factory. Loading info for the .307 is a little sparse. Some sources say .307 cases have a smaller case capacity than the .308 so you can't or are not supposed to use .308 data. Other sources say thats not true they are the same so you can use the same data for both. Conventional wisdom would say start low and work up. I think the action its built on would be the common denominator.

The .307 has a shorter COL than the .308, but in your situation that's not a problem. QuickLoad's database says the .307 has 2 gr less case capacity, so you should try for slightly less speed even if you reload to .308 COL.

How long had you the castings? I don't think Storie has offered them in over a decade. He had a really nice selection. He does still sell butt plates and the like.

Gentlemen. thanks for your input.
I used 50 444 brass. One trip through a 358 die and then a 308 die. Trim to length, and it works! I will start low.
Asdf, Rodney used my original Hauck last year to develop molds. I had some input after trying the castings and am happy with the result. There is enough extra metal in the right places to allow exact tolerances. A very fast build.
Rodney is retired now, so has time to do important things like keeping our obsessive compulsive tendencies working by providing castings!
Working on rimmed case extractor today.

Interesting. Is he producing all those actions again or is he starting over, making new molds? I’d read he considered selling his old collection of molds, but I never saw anyone offering castings off those again.

He used to offer castings for the Ballard, Hepburn, Borchardt, Stevens, Cole, Wesson, Farrows, Farqs, and others. It was quite the collection and made me wish I had suitable machinist skills.

His address; rodney4477@yahoo.com He is making some new molds and has a couple Hauck kits on hand. He did sell his old mold collection.

Gwahir, I form .300 H&H flanged from .375 H&H brass and MUST inside neck ream. You are reducing brass a good bit more so suggest you have a close look to see if you have a brass donut at the neck of your .308 brass... Pressure danger is possible.

Regards, Tim

Thanks, Tim. Good advice. I have the rimmed extractor finished.

300 H and H flanged. What for? This has to be interesting!